Utility meters are commonly used by water, gas, and electric utilities to measure the flow of metered utilities between the supplying utility and the customer.
While the present invention is intended to be applicable to any type of utility meter which employs a battery powered solid state module, by way of example herein, electricity meters will be described. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention relates, also, to water and/or gas meters.
Within each electric meter there is a disk which acts as the rotor of a small electric motor coupled to the power line being measured. The disk rotates at a speed proportional to power flowing through the meter, and causes pointers to move to positions indicative of the amount of electric power used. The amount of power applied to or obtained from a load is accumulated by a register that is coupled mechanically to the disk. The register is read periodically by the utility for customer billing. To enable the utility to determine by inspection whether the meter is operative, whether power is flowing, and, if so, approximately at what rate and in what direction, a portion of the disk is exposed to be viewed from outside the meter.
Recently developed microprocessor controlled meters, currently being adopted by the electrical utilities, are able to carry out numerous metering functions, such as demand and time of use measurement, within a single meter.
Many such microprocessor controlled meters are now being provided as sealed pieces of equipment which include the battery for powering the circuitry of the meter. One difficulty that has become apparent with such meters, however, is the problem of insuring adequate battery life and preventing premature reduction of useful life during shipping and storage while maintaining the integrity of the meter's seal. While the manufacturer may control the manufacturing and shipping process and procedures to minimize battery drain, it has heretofore been impossible to control warehouse storage time.
There accordingly exists a need to provide in a solid state utility meter, which is subject to storage as a sealed unit, some type of mechanism which permits a maximum degree of preservation of useful battery life.